Change of Plans
by DragonStorm85
Summary: One-shot. Even when her wings were clipped, she would always dream of freedom. But when a liberated bird willingly returns to her cage, he finds himself at a loss of what to do. Or what to think.


**Theme**: "Since the first punch didn't seem to do the job, a second and a third were required."  
**Character(s)**: Tenten, Uchiha Sasuke; brief mentions of Orochimaru, Haruno Sakura  
**Pairing(s)**: A hint of Sasuke/Tenten if you squint.  
**Warning(s)**: None.  
**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but these words.  
**Note**: Written as a reply to a **Sentence-in-a-Story Meme** request.  
**Dedicated to**: Um... whoever made the request I suppose. Sorry it took so long...

It started with a simple gesture, as they always did in those times. The rain clouds had moved on towards the north, leaving behind a muggy and sticky mess that they were forced to trudge through, trading off the weight of the medic every few hundred miles in between. And in good faith, she offered him a drink from her canister - the last bit of water they had until a source could be found to refill - when they stopped to rest and regroup, which he took with great weariness. All the while, the kunoichi could feel his eyes burning a hole into her skull, setting her senses ablaze with their fierce gaze. She could see the suspicion in the swirls. The question in their focus: Why.

Tenten expected that much when she left the village to rescue Sasuke from his own blind hatred. And this was the thanks that was given for it.

Go figure.

He resented her, she could tell; was confused by her actions, she was almost sure. Because who in their right mind would turn away from the village they loved and devoted their lives to for a man who was considered a traitor to all shinobi? Who was a wanted criminal in every ninja nation under the sun? But she would, and she did.

So what did that say about her?

Tenten had her reasons, though. And besides, someone had to be there to knock some sense into him. After months of separation and a mind erasing jutsu, he'd turned all their planning into a pointless effort. Time wasted in the hellish pits of Orochimaru's darkest strongholds. A hit to the brain was the least she could do. And since the first one didn't seem to do the job, a second and a third were required. And soon, more followed, given much to his annoyance, until they were both fighting just to survive another breath. Because Tenten wasn't in the business of sacrificing her life, or her loyalties. Not even for him.

"I brought you home." Not a single glance was given to the kunoichi stirring and shifting in the corner as he faced her once more. "You were free."

Pressing a bruised wrist to her lips, Tenten tasted the sharp tang of her own blood and retook her stance. "I was supposed to come back after I remembered. Or did you use that jutsu on yourself too?"

And even as the words left her - even as their bodies flashed into action again - the memories came flooding back. The codes, the midnight meetings. The sneaking around. Even the animals they smuggled to help send their messages drifted in and out of her memory. She saw it all in waves, and was forced to shake her head to keep focus. It was a side effect that had yet to subside since the spell broke. And when facing up against Uchiha Sasuke, the kunoichi knew that she would need all that she could muster just to last through this fight.

"Plans change. You were never meant to come back."

Panting and heaving for air during the pause, she took in the true statement behind the worlds: '_I never expected you to come back._' It was enough of a sobering thought to stall the fight just as quickly as it had begun.

The revelation was jarring, leaving her dazed and distracted for a time afterwards. Sasuke hadn't trusted her to come back. Or, moreso, he had placed hope - because there was no other word to describe the quiet disappointment that flashed across his eyes in that brief moment of her rescue - in the idea that she wouldn't. That he would expect so little of her after all that she sacrificed in order to see their plan through. That he would expect anything less...

And that, perhaps, hurt her more than the battle itself.

But then, she assured herself, Tenten had always been the better at judging character. Pragmatic and analytical to a fault, she saw the hidden cracks that others rarely noticed. And despite what his actions and words said of him, Tenten could still see the flaws in his persona. She could still see traces of the boy she knew in the bowels of the earthly hell they found in Sound. Given the alternative, the kunoichi _had_ to believe that she did.

For a time, they stood there in the silence, nothing but the patter of lingering raindrops as they plopped onto a landscape of sludge left in the aftermath of the storms. Her clothes were soaked to the core in both sweat and mud, almost chilling her to the very bone as they posed there in the clearing, still as statues. And yet, neither one made to move; debating on whether or not this fight was worth continuing or simply should be dropped for another time. The deep furrow of his brows told of his stubbornness on the matter. And Tenten was prepared to wait out just as long.

All it took was a faint groan - a reminder - from the heap of Sakura's body to set her priorities back into focus. There was no time for bickering. There was barely even time for this pointless squabble. There was a plan to follow and adjustments to be made. But, more importantly, there was a promise to be kept. From both ends.

Scoffing, she moved towards the medic-nin, sweeping him to the side with her forearm as she stepped around him. If Sakura was going to be persuaded to join them, now was the time to convince her. And if she couldn't be, well... "...Like you said. Plans change."


End file.
